Gandhi is born into India's trader caste (hereditary social class). His conservative father works as an official for the British government, first as chief minister of the small town of Porbandar and later as chief minister of Rajkot State, while his mother performs the traditional duties of a Hindu wife. Although Gandhi describes himself as very timid and easily frightened, even as a teen-ager he tries to be strong and more courageous, aspiring to live a heroic life.

The time Gandhi spends studying in England proves vital to his philosophy.

He reads a sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad-Gita, that emphasizes the importance of finding and executing one's duty in life, no matter what the cost.

Furthermore, although he remains a Hindu, Gandhi attends British churches and is influenced by Christianity's message of equality and love for the poor.